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Radio 2 changes from May

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appeasement thats the word ive been looking for. Like never before Radio 2 is trying to juggle several audiences.They have culled a couple of long standing shows and Friday Night Is Music Night is still at its normal time now wedged btween TB abd now GD, new late show and returned some live overnight broadcasting . its now really Radio 1.5. seriously time to consider 2 Extra, stick all the specialist music shows on it, + some archive + live daily shows and let Radio 2 evolve properly.

Id say its still a long way off radio 1.5 going a little that way but far off it. It has to change despite some people not wanting it too. If it doesnt the audience will just get older and older and it wont appeal to the younger end of radio 2’s demo 35+

Many of the specialist shows, FNIMN, sounds of 60s, 70s and most of the sunday output will be for older end of radio 2 listeners.

Its about time it modernised a bit, but i do find it tries to please to a too wide a audience. I was listening the other day one minute they were playing the new track by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa which is great but sounded really weird on radio 2 next something from the 60s or 70s
I can imagine some of the older people i know thinking what the hell is this rubbish noise there playing and having ken bruce or steve wright introduce it 😂😂😂

I really don't see a problem with having a current track like Dua Lipa next to an oldie. Maybe not everyone will like it but that will always be the case whatever tracks are played. The reason that R2 is the most listened to station is they aren't narrowcasting like most commercial stations (+ without the irritating ads). I may not like everything but I do enjoy the wide variety from oldies to current stuff. Capital Radio in the old days in the days of Dave Cash + Roger Scott played an incredibly wide variety from current hits, oldies back to the 50;s, country hits + much more.

appeasement thats the word ive been looking for. Like never before Radio 2 is trying to juggle several audiences.They have culled a couple of long standing shows and Friday Night Is Music Night is still at its normal time now wedged btween TB abd now GD, new late show and returned some live overnight broadcasting . its now really Radio 1.5. seriously time to consider 2 Extra, stick all the specialist music shows on it, + some archive + live daily shows and let Radio 2 evolve properly.

Id say its still a long way off radio 1.5 going a little that way but far off it. It has to change despite some people not wanting it too. If it doesnt the audience will just get older and older and it wont appeal to the younger end of radio 2’s demo 35+

Many of the specialist shows, FNIMN, sounds of 60s, 70s and most of the sunday output will be for older end of radio 2 listeners.

Its about time it modernised a bit, but i do find it tries to please to a too wide a audience. I was listening the other day one minute they were playing the new track by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa which is great but sounded really weird on radio 2 next something from the 60s or 70s
I can imagine some of the older people i know thinking what the hell is this rubbish noise there playing and having ken bruce or steve wright introduce it 😂😂😂

I really don't see a problem with having a current track like Dua Lipa next to an oldie. Maybe not everyone will like it but that will always be the case whatever tracks are played. The reason that R2 is the most listened to station is they aren't narrowcasting like most commercial stations (+ without the irritating ads). I may not like everything but I do enjoy the wide variety from oldies to current stuff. Capital Radio in the old days in the days of Dave Cash + Roger Scott played an incredibly wide variety from current hits, oldies back to the 50;s, country hits + much more.

The Calvin and dua lipa track just sounded out of place on radio 2, fair play to them for playing it, i really like it but cant see many 60 year olds liking it in fact id go as far as saying they would detest it. When i first heard it on radio 2 i was shocked i thought i had radio 1 or heart on.

im 60 and dont detest hearing the odd new music,i do detesst hearing the same songs every day and inane chat though thats mostly on global bauer stations,these stations are why more people are tuning to bbc stations these days,

appeasement thats the word ive been looking for. Like never before Radio 2 is trying to juggle several audiences.They have culled a couple of long standing shows and Friday Night Is Music Night is still at its normal time now wedged btween TB abd now GD, new late show and returned some live overnight broadcasting . its now really Radio 1.5. seriously time to consider 2 Extra, stick all the specialist music shows on it, + some archive + live daily shows and let Radio 2 evolve properly.

Id say its still a long way off radio 1.5 going a little that way but far off it. It has to change despite some people not wanting it too. If it doesnt the audience will just get older and older and it wont appeal to the younger end of radio 2’s demo 35+

Many of the specialist shows, FNIMN, sounds of 60s, 70s and most of the sunday output will be for older end of radio 2 listeners.

Its about time it modernised a bit, but i do find it tries to please to a too wide a audience. I was listening the other day one minute they were playing the new track by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa which is great but sounded really weird on radio 2 next something from the 60s or 70s
I can imagine some of the older people i know thinking what the hell is this rubbish noise there playing and having ken bruce or steve wright introduce it 😂😂😂

I really don't see a problem with having a current track like Dua Lipa next to an oldie. Maybe not everyone will like it but that will always be the case whatever tracks are played. The reason that R2 is the most listened to station is they aren't narrowcasting like most commercial stations (+ without the irritating ads). I may not like everything but I do enjoy the wide variety from oldies to current stuff. Capital Radio in the old days in the days of Dave Cash + Roger Scott played an incredibly wide variety from current hits, oldies back to the 50;s, country hits + much more.

The Calvin and dua lipa track just sounded out of place on radio 2, fair play to them for playing it, i really like it but cant see many 60 year olds liking it in fact id go as far as saying they would detest it. When i first heard it on radio 2 i was shocked i thought i had radio 1 or heart on.

Well I'm 60 in a few months + quite like it. Seems like you have stereotypic vision of what 60 years olds may like. For me variety is key!

I can’t understand this obsession with ‘your 60 so you aren’t going to like any new music’

I’m 52 in two weeks time, I enjoy most of Radio 2’s playlist, songs I wouldn’t normally hear if if hadn’t heard them on Radio 2.
For example, I went out on Saturday and purchased Anne-Marie’s album on Saturday as her last few singles have been playlisted on Radio 2 and with the addition of current single 2002 I was curious as to what the rest of the album was like (very same by the way but enjoyable enough)

Radio 2’s audience is growing with the station, please dont write off anyone over 60 as only wanting to listen to Daniel O’Donnell, after all, 60 is the new 40 isn’t it ?

The assumption of people in there 60's not liking new music is the same as people in there 20's / 30's not liking any music before the 90's, I think this is actually the reason why radio 2 appeals to so many. I'm 26 and enjoy much of the music on sounds of the 60's and 70's and know many people my age who also listen. Radio 1 does have a greatest hits show which time to time i do listen to however radio 2 suits me for the sheer variety it plays.

im 60 and dont detest hearing the odd new music,i do detesst hearing the same songs every day and inane chat though thats mostly on global bauer stations,these stations are why more people are tuning to bbc stations these days,

The listening shares for BBC & commercial radio haven't changed in the last twenty years, they have remained steady at BBC 53%, commercial 44%. Commercial radio had a higher share in the 1990s but that was when Radio 2 was an easy listening station in daytime.

The average age of a Radio 2 listener is 51 (and isn't permitted to fall below 50) so there is no chance them taking it younger, it has a strict remit to serve everyone aged 35+ .

I tried all the new shows, but there was nothing that grabbed me. Mayo and Whiley didn't work together, maybe it will take time. Cox just seemed to be playing the same old music with some uninspiring features such as a TV review. I was quite impressed with Borg as a presenter, but I don't think it is something I would stay up late to listen to again.

I tried all the new shows, but there was nothing that grabbed me. Mayo and Whiley didn't work together, maybe it will take time. Cox just seemed to be playing the same old music with some uninspiring features such as a TV review. I was quite impressed with Borg as a presenter, but I don't think it is something I would stay up late to listen to again.

I was surprised to find out Borg had a radio career, tbh I can't stand him!

He was originally on key 103 then absolute both Bauer stations. Wasn't keen on those shows. Sounds slightly better on radio 2 but no replacement for Janice and Alex.

Bet your life he's a cheaper replacement though, drop two presenters and 18 months later replace them with one

I saw an article in the Telegraph that said Simon Mayo has had an upsetting & difficult few weeks in the run up to his new show.
Somehow I think that upset isn't going away after the first show yesterday met with a less than lukewarm reception

I saw an article in the Telegraph that said Simon Mayo has had an upsetting & difficult few weeks in the run up to his new show.
Somehow I think that upset isn't going away after the first show yesterday met with a less than lukewarm reception

I guess he was referring to the members of his team he had to lose. That said, everything he’s said about the changes have been high on diplomacy and low on enthusiasm, and it’s easy to see why.

But you did say that not many 60 year olds would like the Dua Lipa song and would go as far as to say that they would detest it. I’m sure that a vast amount of research went into this and it wasn’t just a sweeping statement made without any foundation whatsoever, that would be ridiculous.

I tried all the new shows, but there was nothing that grabbed me. Mayo and Whiley didn't work together, maybe it will take time. Cox just seemed to be playing the same old music with some uninspiring features such as a TV review. I was quite impressed with Borg as a presenter, but I don't think it is something I would stay up late to listen to again.

I enjoyed sara’s show but ive always liked her, i wonder if she had a say in the music as most of it was from after the 1980s onwards and had a more comtempory feel to it. Good to have a late night show with mainstream music and a set schedule rather than different 30 minute or 1 hr shows every day playing specialist music.

The new show with Jo Whiley is dishwater full and it is painful to listen to Simon trying to salvage something from the wreckage

Twitter and Facebook now flooded with complaints and pleas to bring back the old Simon Mayo Drivetime format with Matt, Nigel st al.

Massive ****-up by the BBC which will cost them millions of listeners by June.

It could be the case where existing listeners retune but the show might attract Radio 1 listeners who remember Jo Whiley and think they will give Radio 2 a try and stay with the network. So new listeners will not remember the old Drive show with Simon Mayo they may think the new show is great.

It’s a bit like in 1996 when Steve Wright joined the network on Saturday Mornings it would have brought new listeners from Radio 1 but some existing Radio 2 may have disliked this change and retuned.

Once again, Twitter and Facebook (and forums, for that matter) do not necessarily represent the average punter. If anything, it's the direct opposite. Those who are going to go out of their way to interact with a radio station in that matter are atypical.

I'm not saying there isn't an issue here and I'm aware that you mess with the Radio 2 schedule at your peril, but I wouldn't say Twitter/FB reaction is necessarily a reason for them to panic.

On Sara Cox - I haven't caught her show yet but I look forward to it. I never liked her Radio 1 act but I do like her on Radio 2, and it feels like a natural successor to the 10pm Mark Radcliffe slot for those of us who grew up with Radio 1 in that era.

I think the problem is that it’s not a fundamentally bad show at all, but it’ll inevitably be compared to the show that came before it.

Saying it’s a completely different show doesn’t really cut the mustard, since one of the two presenters was the previous presenter, the confessions feature and all request Friday remain. It seems like a watered down version of the previous drive time show and that’s not good. It feels much less lively, perhaps because there are actually fewer voices heard regularly than before, with Matt et al gone or sidelined.

I’m sure the show will evolve, and doubtless it exists for a reason, but they’ve taken a very good and successful show and made changes for the worse.

Didn't listen to it, but judging by the music played on it, yesterday's Sara Cox show was rather Radio 1 1/2

I thought the same. I was driving home and didn't recognise the first two tracks. Elbow I knew and fell into the same era as the first two tracks. I then got home and stopped listening.
Looking at the online listing of music, it does seem to be the normal Radio 2 music, it just wasn't scheduled evenly with regards to era and genre.